Chimaera
}} The Chimaera was an ''Imperial II''-class Star Destroyer of the Imperial Navy that served for over 40 years and fought during the Galactic Civil War, the Yuuzhan Vong War and the Second Galactic Civil War. Under command of the famous Grand Admiral Thrawn, it led the Chiss admiral's fleet during his brilliant campaign against the New Republic. In the following years, it became the flagship of the Galactic Empire under Gilad Pellaeon. The Empire lost the Chimaera following the Yuuzhan Vong War when it was severely damaged. The starship was eventually recovered by former Imperial Admiral Natasha Daala, who made it the flagship of her private fleet, the Maw Irregular Fleet. History Galactic Civil War Early in its service, an officer by the name of Gilad Pellaeon was transferred to her command crew; he eventually became the ship's second in command. During this time, the Chimaera was upgraded to the new Imperial II standard, increasing its shielding and armament. At some point prior to the Battle over Endor, the Chimaera was seen undergoing weapons testing along with the Inexorable, the Nemesis and the Stormhawk in the Carida system. Ace Azzameen's Otana mistakenly emerged from hyperspace near the Star Destroyers but managed to escape.Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance Later, it was recalled to Endor as part of Death Squadron, the fleet protecting the second Death Star, under Admiral Horst Strage. It was next in the chain of command after the command ships Executor and Pride of Tarlandia, and with the destruction of both, became acting command ship. After several hours of fighting and the loss of Admiral Strage, Captain Gilad Pellaeon became acting commanding officer of the fleet and ordered a retreat to the Irishi sector capital, Orinda, in the Orinda system.The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook A quarrel broke out between the new commander of Death Squadron who wanted to counterattack the Rebels and two higher ranking officers: Admirals Harrsk and Adye Prittick. Harrsk quickly deserted to create his own warlord fief and Pellaeon accepted to transfer command to Admiral Prittick who ordered a retreat to the Yag'Dhul system, in order to protect the Core Worlds. Admiral Prittick briefly commanded the fleet while at Annaj but did not remain in command for reasons still unknown; this was presumably at least in part due to the authority vested in Chimaera itself. Chimaera remained under Pellaeon's command during the tumultuous years that followed, and under Pellaeon's leadership, she came to be regarded as one of the Empire's most efficiently run Star Destroyers. Thrawn's flagship This record for efficiency may have been what made Grand Admiral Thrawn choose the Chimaera to be his flagship. Thrawn immediately left his mark on the ship, having a luxury entertainment suite once used by Pellaeon's predecessor turned into a meditation chamber/command room. Thrawn's reorganization of the fleet placed the Chimaera at the center of his personal armada, along with the Star Destroyers Death's Head, Judicator, Inexorable, Stormhawk, and Nemesis.The Thrawn Trilogy Sourcebook Thrawn soon began training the crew to his own specifications, and when he ordered the Chimaera to Tatooine to obtain the Alderaanian moss painting Killik Twilight, they were put to the test by the unexpected complications caused by Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. Soon afterward, Thrawn began his campaign on the New Republic in earnest, starting with an information raid on Obroa-skai. The Chimaera remained his flagship throughout this devastating campaign, up until his death at Bilbringi at the hands of his Sith bodyguard, Rukh. Pellaeon was forced to call a full retreat of the Imperial Starfleet, which regrouped near the Unknown Regions.The Last Command Sourcebook Appearances Notes and references Category:Captured starships Category:Flagships Category:Imperial II-class Star Destroyers Category:Starships of the Galactic Empire Category:Starships of Thrawn's fleet Category:Stealth ships